Powered by JJIC, Ubuntu Village, and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation

“Re·al·i·ty Check: An Occasion On Which One Is Reminded Of The State Of Things In The Real World.”

Reality Check (a 501(c)(3) non-profit) operated four comprehensive, data-driven programmatic pillars inside the Juvenile Justice Intervention Center (JJIC) every week from March 3 to August 15, 2026. Our evidence-based mission delivers targeted cognitive-behavioral interventions, positive youth development models, and scalable workforce readiness pathways specifically engineered for justice-involved youth. By blending practical reentry preparation, structured community advocacy, high-fidelity media arts production, and art-based career readiness, we utilize the power of Edutainment (Education through Entertainment), Artivism (Art Driving Social Activism), and Art Therapy (a trauma-informed & restorative approach) to target criminogenic needs, reduce recidivism, dismantle systemic barriers, and establish measurable pathways for long-term community stabilization.

Workshop series—executed by Reality Check inside the Juvenile Justice Intervention Center (JJIC) in partnership with Umbuntu Village—bridges New Orleans’ rich art & musical heritage with hands-on music production, visual arts, business architecture, and legal literacy. Supported by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, this program empowers system-involved youth to translate real-world narrative into commercial assets, creative independence, and long-term career sovereignty.

The “I’m br-OK-en” Clinical Evidence-Based Framework

Central to all four Reality Check programs is the deep integration of mental health awareness, destigmatization, and creative art therapy. The curriculum systematically guides participants through the three chronological stages of mental health recovery:

• Stage 1: Signs & Symptoms (Acuteness & Awareness): Identifying early warning signs, emotional triggers, behavioral changes, and the baseline impacts of complex trauma.
• Stage 2: Treatment & Alternatives (Clinical Interventions & Processing): Unpacking trauma-related challenges through clinical-grade alternatives, therapeutic creative coping, non-violent de-escalation, and therapeutic support networks.
• Stage 3: Maintenance & Healthy Lifestyles (Long-Term Behavioral Modification): Establishing daily coping strategies, emotional regulation, physical wellness, and constructive life planning to prevent relapse or recidivism.

The 4 Programmatic Pillars Inside JJIC

🎓 1. Legal Hustlers: Master Business Class

🗣️ 2. Voices of Tomorrow: Youth Leadership Council

• Focus: Prosocial Peer Modeling, Restorative Justice, Collective Coping, Advocacy & Interpersonal Group Dynamics.
• Schedule: Wednesdays | 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM
• Description: Functions as an institutional governance model and peer-led advocacy system within the secure facility. Comprising elected juvenile representatives from residential housing pods, the council serves as an active mechanism for restorative justice and diplomatic problem-solving, cultivating an ecosystem of positive peer pressure and civic engagement.

🎼 3. Beats & Lyrics + Art: Music Production

• Focus: Auditory Art Therapy, Creative Youth Development (CYD), Subconscious Lyric Analysis, Cathartic Release, and Mental Health Counter-Marketing.
• Schedule: Every Other Sunday | 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
• Description: Merges trauma-responsive artistic expression with technical vocational competencies. Youth are cross-trained as audio professionals in a mobile studio setup, turning personal testimonies, emotional strains, and systemic challenges into professional-grade audio architecture and public health counter-marketing campaigns.

🎬 4. My Story (Editing the Past, Rewriting the Future): Film Production, Content Creation and Storytelling

• Focus: Visual Art Therapy, Artivism, Narrative Processing of Trauma, Digital Competency, Collective Externalization, and Career-Technical Education (CTE).
• Schedule: Thursdays | 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
• Description: A career-technical education sandbox designed to build foundational proficiencies across modern media landscapes. Repositions youth from being passive objects of societal narratives to active authors of their own stories by executing short-form content creation, documentary film production, screenplay conceptualization, and video editing.

Featured Original Songs & Preventative Artivism

1. WHEN I COME HOME_Produced by Deezle, Wrritten by Reality check, JJIC Students_BNCE_Rough MixUnknown artistDuration: 4:33
2. Stop Joy-Ridin Around Up N Dem Hotties_Produced by Deezle_written by Reality Check_JJIC StudentsUnknown artistDuration: 3:18

“When I Come Home”

• Track Overview: Produced by 3x Grammy-Winning Producer Deezle / Box Bangers; written by Reality Check and JJIC Students.
• Single Cover Art: Designed by JJIC Students & Kelwynn “KJ” Napoleon Jr., under the Creative Direction of Reaux FaReal / Parlay
• Core Theme: “When I Come Home: The Journey to Mental Health Recovery”—focusing on resilience, self-discovery, and breaking negative cycles through phrases like “Pain Doesn’t Define Me, Progress Does” and “New Mindset, New Chapter, New Life.”
• “Stop Joy Ridin Around Up N Dem Hotties”

• Track Overview: Produced by 3x Grammy-Winning Producer Deezle / Box Bangers; written by Kelwynn “Coach Kel” Napoleon / Reality Check and JJIC Students. Song arrangement and Mix by S-8ighty
• Digital Art Cover: Created by JJIC Students & Kelwynn “KJ” Napoleon Jr. / with Creative Direction by Kelwynn “Coach Kel” Napoleon.
• :60 Preventative Artivism PSA’s: Written by JJIC Students. Recorded & Voice Over by Reaux FaReal / Parlay Brand. PSA’s Mixed by S-8ighty
• :60 Preventative Artivism Digital/Social Media PSA: Written by JJIC Students. Recorded & Voice Over by Reaux FaReal / Parlay Brand. PSA’s Mixed by S-8ighty. Creative Director Albert Batiste / Crash Mannequin

• Core Theme: Automotive Crime Prevention & Behavioral Sovereignty—deconstructing the 5 core categories of automotive crimes under Louisiana Law (Auto-1 through Auto-5) and the Law of Principals (La. R.S. 14:24). The track and public service announcements explicitly address carjacking consequences (5 to 20+ years hard labor), reinforcing that “One bad decision can steal your future” and “The streets don’t love you back.”

Mentors, Edutainers & Key Participants

• Kelwynn “Coach Kel” Napoleon (Founder & Executive Director, Reality Check): 30+ year advertising veteran, media strategist, and Certified Radio Marketing Consultant who leads program facilitation, broadcast deployment, and artist development.
• Dorian “Coach Doe” Francis (Community Education & Workforce Development Leader): 15+ years managing grant-compliant youth initiatives, former Operations Director for the New Orleans Jazz Market, and ESSENCE Festival Empowerment Experience Production Manager.
• Darius “Deezle” Harrison (3x Grammy-Winning Producer / Box Bangers Media): Producer of Lil Wayne’s Diamond-certified single “Lollipop,” bringing professional mobile studio hardware into JJIC to teach sound design, audio engineering, and music production.
• Roosevelt “Reaux FaReal” Wright III (2x NBC National Spoken Word Champion / Parlay Brand Co.): Author of six books and master visual designer who guides spoken word performance, vocal coaching, and generative A.I. digital art conversion.
• Dave “S-8ighty” Welcome Jr. (Multi-Platinum Republic Records Artist & Producer): Keyboards and beat architect known for “Halfway” (ft. Lil Wayne), instructing youth on vocal arrangement, beat composition, and studio engineering.
• Additional Program Facilitators & Industry Guests:
  • Marlon “Big Fav” Favorite (NFL Super Bowl XLIV Champion / LSU BCS National Champion / Recording Artist): Former Saints Defensive Tackle, actor, broadcaster, and recording artist (“Hello Somebody”) who brings a “Championship Mindset” to mentor youth on discipline, navigating the sports/entertainment industry, and building sovereign enterprises.
  • Sir Chantz Powell (International Recording Artist, Trumpeter & Tap Dancer): Teaches global performance discipline, trumpet fundamentals, and tap dance syncopation as tools for physical and emotional self-regulation.

• Shametria Gonzales (Poet & Spoken Word Strategist, Unleash to Speak)
• Fee Banks (Founder of Good Money Global / YoungBoy Never Broke Again Management)
• Lamont Turner & Gabriel Clark Sr. (Global Tactical Team Executive Security)
• Gavin C. Lewis Sr. (Certified NFLPA Contract Advisor / ISG Group LA, Executive Sports Agent)
• Eazy Money (Independent Recording Artist, The Organize Thinkers Experience)
• Jamel “JV Mel” Joseph (Rap Artist/Social Media Influencer w over 3 Million streams & 1 Million Followers) & Jeremy Jason (Road Management, Content Creator, Videographer / Photographer)

Collaborative Partner Network

• New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation: Supported art base instruction through the 2025–2026 Education After School Grant (Grant #EAS26-0210).
• Ubuntu Village: Partnered to deliver programming support, community advocacy, trauma-informed guidance, and family support resources.
• Parlay & Dorian Francis Foundation: Key collaborators offering event coordination, mentorship support, and youth resources.
• Juvenile Justice Intervention Center (JJIC): Host facility partnering to provide secure, weekly access for transformative youth programming.

New Orleans, LA — Powered by The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation and in collaboration with the Dorian Francis Foundation and Bar None By Design, Reality Check successfully completed its 2025 Mental Health & Anti-violence facilitator and mentor-led workshops— a transformative initiative adapted into a series of youth-centered workshops under the Beats & Lyrics Edutainment Bootcamp.

The summer schedule included a wide-reaching set of workshops that combined music, art, and media to empower teenagers while addressing critical issues around mental health and teen violence.

From June to August 2025, over 60 teenagers participated in creative, career-focused training sessions across multiple artistic disciplines including filming, event production, audio/video engineering, writing, painting, music production, marketing, and sound engineering.

Key program highlights included:

• ARCH: Beyond The Wall Mural Project (June 2 – Aug. 24, 2025) – A 12-week racial justice and healing initiative culminating in a community mural under the Claiborne Bridge dedicated to Tamborine & Fan.
• Dorian Francis Foundation Workshop (July 13, 2025) – A mental health and career development workshop that inspired youth to integrate mental wellness into a fashion show titled “Fashion Therapy.”
• Mental Health & Wellness Warrior Awardees Brunch (July 27, 2025) – Students gained hands-on event production experience while celebrating local mental health advocates.
• B.O.N.D. F.I.R.E. Virtual Workshops (Aug. 1, 2025) – Youth-led sessions promoting creative expression as a tool for liberation and political education.
• Black Youth Got Something to Say Brunch (Aug. 2, 2025) – A semi-annual truth-telling event where youth identified issues and worked toward community-driven solutions.
• 52 Cyphers Artist Development Workshop (Aug. 16, 2025) – Students connected with music industry professionals for training in artist development, marketing, and performance.

Impact at a Glance:

• 60+ youth directly engaged in workshops and events
• 85% of participants reported stronger self-expression and communication skills
• 95% reported greater awareness and understanding of mental health issues
• Original works created, including music compositions and a large-scale public mural

Kelwynn Napoleon founder of Reality Check adds this insight, “Our projects created a safe space for youth to confront difficult topics while gaining professional and creative skills. Our goal is to continue building opportunities that allow young people to transform their communities through art, resilience, and leadership.”

About Reality Check
Reality Check a non-profit organization provides mentorship and support to young people through the Arts, Technology, and Culture. Our mission is to promote social development and confidence building through self-expression, while also equipping young people with essential critical thinking and life skills, career development, and community engagement opportunities. With a focus on art therapy, mental health & wellness, and community building, we strive to empower and engage youth at every level, providing edutainment-based curriculums, field trips, lesson plans, programs, projects, workshops, and forums that promote productivity and competitiveness in a global economy. Our goal is to create a positive and lasting impact on the lives of young people, helping them to become successful and engaged members of their communities.